Uchiha Madara led the somewhat malnourished, limping Lightning Bird to the city gate.
"You two, stop!" A guard barred Uchiha Madara's path with his sword.
"Who are you? What business do you have in our country? And what is that thing beside you?" the guard asked.
"I am a traveler from afar. I need to rest while passing through your country, so please allow me to enter," Uchiha Madara said.
The guard looked Uchiha Madara up and down, noticing the staff in his hand, its flames still burning.
"So, you're a high-level mage." The guard's expression softened.
Still, the guard was somewhat puzzled. Why would a high-level mage travel such a long distance to his country?
Everyone knew that mages held an extremely high status on the Elzeran Continent. Under normal circumstances, no one would send a mage on a long journey.
For one thing, mages were not physically strong. They were usually frail and could not endure long distances.
Another reason was that while mages possessed immense destructive power, their actual combat ability was not particularly strong. If they encountered danger, it would be difficult for them to handle it alone.
That was precisely why almost no one sent mages on long journeys.
Yet judging by the scene before him, this mage had clearly traveled for a very long time and must have suffered quite a bit along the way.
"May I ask why you have come to our country? Do you have some urgent business? Are you perhaps someone sent from the Royal City?" the guard asked Uchiha Madara.
"I was not sent by the Royal City. I am merely passing through," Uchiha Madara said.
"I have been traveling for far too long, and my body can no longer take it. I would like to find somewhere to